It is a fact of life that as we get older, we have to depend more on other people for the things we need. Family members are often busy and cannot take care of their elderly parents. In many instances, they employ a caregiver to watch their parents. These caregivers are, in the vast majority of cases, very kind and caring individuals. The services and friendship they provide to seniors are invaluable. Unfortunately, in some isolated instances, a dishonest caregiver ends up taking advantage of the situation. Slowly, they gain the trust of the senior and family members. They pay their bills, buy their groceries, and write checks for the senior. Before long, the dishonest caregiver is writing checks for services that were never delivered. They can end up taking thousands of dollars from the senior before anyone notices. Here are some tips to make sure this doesn't happen to you or someone you know:

Warning Signs

• The caregiver asks the senior for a secret short-term loan.
• Secrecy is a warning sign that they do not intend to repay the money.
• The senior is suddenly romantically involved with the caregiver (many times a younger person) and is giving them expensive gifts and money.
• The caregiver is suddenly the senior's best friend and starts to isolate them from others.

• Get references for anyone that manages your money.
• Get monthly accounts of all financial dealings.
• Save your receipts.
• Document what you have approved and what you have not approved.
• Involve trusted family members in your personal and financial efforts early. That way, they will know better how to follow your wishes and manage your affairs should it become necessary later on.

• Make routine and unscheduled visits.
• Warn the elder about the potential for dishonest caregivers.
• Warn the elder about keeping financial secrets.
• Keep track of the elder's accounts (with their permission). Watch for large withdrawals from bank accounts, unusual ATM activity, or for signatures on checks that don't match the elder's signature.
• Contact the senior's bank to see if they will flag large withdrawals on the senior's account. Remember, it is in the bank's best interest to avoid illegal withdrawals, too.
• Stop any attempts to isolate the senior.
• Warns others who come in contact with the senior (such as mail carriers or meal delivery personnel) to notify you if they are denied access to the senior.

The Department of Public Health Hotline 1-800-462-5540
Call this number to report elderly fraud by a personal care worker or homemaker who is employed by a licensed facility or organization.